Immunity: The Necklace of True Love's Kiss
by yayyeness
Summary: Sharpay has something that Troy wants and he has something that Sharpay needs. So they make a deal. But what happens when Troy is let in on one of Sharpay's deepest, darkest secrets? Is he able to handle it? Troypay. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!
1. trailer

A/N: I got this idea after watching _Stardust_ on a plane, so lets see how good the reviews are and maybe I might continue but I'm not that confident though.

Disclaimer: I only own this plot.

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Trailer: Immunity: The Necklace of True Love's Kiss 

**Voiceovers**-_Thoughts_-Regular

**Have you ever felt unwanted?**

Shows everyone parting for Sharpay as she walks down the hallways of East High

**Have you ever felt alone?**

Shows Sharpay standing in the doorway of a huge but dark and lonely house

**Have you ever felt that no one cares?**

Shows Sharpay crying on her bed

**She has.**

Shows Sharpay singing with Ryan on stage

**Ever wondered why?**

Shows Sharpay sleeping with a smile on her face and her hair glowing abnormally bright

**He is about to find out**

Shows Troy as he walks toward Sharpay in the halls of East High

**When she has something he wants**

Zooms in on a necklace that Sharpay is wearing

**And he has something she needs.**

Shows Sharpay coming in for a kiss with Troy

**They compromise,**

Shows Troy and Sharpay smiling at each other

**And a deal is made.**

"Sounds like a deal."

"So…you're in?"

"Of course."

**But, was it ever just a deal?**

Shows Sharpay and Troy stealing glances at each other

_God, I think I love him._

_I'm falling for her. Hard._

**And her secret is big**

Shows Sharpay running down a dark alley with three guys chasing after her

**Will he be able to handle it?**

"Are you tempted?"

"By what?"

**Immunity: The Necklace of True Love's Kiss**

**Coming Soon**

**2007/2008**

(Back to previous scene)

"Immunity."

"No."

_I don't believe him._

**Do you?**

(Flashes to white)


	2. The Deal

**A/N: Please note that this is a Troypay even though it might not seem as though in the beginning, but bear with me.**

**I would like to dedicate this story to one of my bestest ever friends, Stars-above. She's awesome fun! She's the one that introduced fanfiction to me in the first place.

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**

Troy and his girlfriend, Gabriella, where sitting next to each other on a bench in the park. On Gabriella's lap was a magazine, which she was flipping through.

Troy was the luckiest guy on earth, but he just didn't know it yet. And that was all because of a girl, but that girl wasn't Gabriella, it was his true love.

Troy's eye caught on the page that Gabriella was staring intently at. It was an advertisement for a necklace. She seemed to like it as she was staring like she needed the necklace, but little did Troy know that she was actually daydreaming.

Troy took this the wrong way, and studied the necklace. It was really beautiful, in a vintage kind of way. The necklace was so beautiful that, in Troy's opinion, it wasn't supposed to be worn by just _anyone_; it was supposed to be worn by someone just as beautiful.

But Gabriella didn't fit the bill, she didn't even come close.

Wait.

What did he just say?

That came out wrong. Way wrong.

But, _somehow_, it sounded so right.

But he loved Gabriella, right? Yes he did.

_Loved._

He still loves her right?

He shook the thought of ever loving someone besides Gabriella out of his head.

He knew Gabriella inside out. Not like you can know someone through a quiz or something like that. Sure, he knew her favourite colour was baby blue, and he knew that she preferred oranges to apples. But he knew she so much more than that. He knew that he was the one she loved. Or so he thought.

But something just didn't feel right.

He didn't really know what it should feel like, having to fallen in love before, but what he felt for Gabriella, it definitely wasn't love.

He was sure of it.

It's not like he could dump her, just like _that_. He needed something to prove to not only himself, but to Gabriella, that he loved her. He needed to prove to her, even though she never asked him to. He could feel that she was drifting away from him. And he needed her back, not because he loved her, not really, but to ensure that he still had the 'prefect' relationship with his 'perfect' girlfriend, he had a _reputation_, for goodness sake. And if word got out that he and Gabriella were drifting apart, then his _reputation _would be going down the drain in mere seconds.

He needed to prove it with a pledge.

A pledge of his love.

And then it hit him. The necklace. The pledge.

"Hey Gabriella?"

"Uhh, yeah Troy?"

"You like this necklace? I'll get it for you. I'll get this as a pledge of my love to you."

"Troy you don't need to do that, it's okay, I know you love me. There's no need-"

"Of course there's a need, that's going to be proof that I love you. And when you wear that necklace, you will think of me, even when I'm not there. Okay?"

"But I don't even like-"

"Enough of that. I want to get it for you."

There was a caption with the words 'One Of A Kind'. That made the necklace even more special, even though that meant that it would be pricey.

Troy took note of the address of the store and linked it to the mall. Easy. He could just take a trip to the mall and get it for her.

Done and over with.

But did he really want to get it for _Gabriella_? That was a whole new question.

* * *

It was the next day, at school, Troy was all pumped up to get the pledge of love after school from the mall, to assure himself that he did actually love Gabriella.

When Troy strolled through the front door, the first thing that caught his eye was a familiar gold chain necklace with an amethyst gem.

He though for a moment as to where he could have possibly seen that necklace before.

And then it hit him. The pledge of love. The advertisement on the magazine yesterday.

But the thing was, the necklace was hanging around Sharpay Evan's neck.

He was shocked, initially, but only because he was surprised that Gabriella had the same taste as Sharpay. But, come to think of it, he didn't even think that the necklace suited Gabriella.

Now, seeing it on Sharpay's neck, he was convinced that that necklace was made just for Sharpay. It was meant for only her.

_Oh, how right he was._

He shook off the thought, as he had to buy the exact same one Gabriella after school, and Gabriella was his girlfriend, after all.

Then, he remembered.

The necklace was "One Of A Kind"!

There wasn't another. If he wanted to get necklace for _Gabriella_, he had to get it from _her_.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to the 'ice princess', it was just that the whole point of getting the necklace was to assure Gabriella that he did still love her, and make sure that she did not dump him and make him the laughing stock of the whole school.

In other words, it was for his reputation.

But, if he did talk to the 'ice princess', then his reputation would go down the drain anyways.

Making up his mind, he walked towards her, before he lost his guts.

"Hey Sharpay."

Sharpay looked at him, confused. He never talked to her. Ever.

_So, why was he here, now?_

"What do you what?"

"Uh, nice necklace you have there."

"Yeah, it was a birthday present from my dad. But you still haven't answered me. What do you want?"

"That necklace."

"What? No way."

"I'll pay you double of what you paid for it."

"Still no."

"Why not?"

"Uh, because, if you'd listened to me earlier, you would have known that I don't know the price because it is a present. And it was from my dad, so why would I want to give it to you? And what in the world made you think I would sell it to you just because you paid me…double. It's not like that I don't have money. God knows that I have bucket loads of that."

_I know that too. Okay, so I was stupid. Offering her money wasn't something I was supposed to do. Okay, so now what?_

After spending the whole night debating whether he would go and try again to persuade Sharpay to sell him the necklace, he decided, that he should.

After all, he was _Troy Bolton._ He got whatever he wanted. He got the girl. Not the girl he wanted, but still. He got the friends. They weren't that great, but still. And he had the _life._

Now, he wanted the necklace. And was going to get it.

* * *

Having woken up late the next day, Troy dashed to school, barely making it for class. He thus did not have time to find Sharpay before class. Now, at lunch, he hopes to find Sharpay and get that necklace.

Roaming in the hallway, he hears a sweet tune, not a song, just a tune, coming from the auditorium. Curiosity getting the better of him, he headed towards the music.

Peeking from behind door, he was not surprised to find Sharpay humming to herself. She wasn't in the cafeteria, but he knew that.

Ever since the Twinkle Towne musical, the whole school hated her; even more then before, if that was even possible. They gave her glares every chance they got to. Which was a lot of chances. They gossiped loudly in front of her. They did every single thing that could possibly make her life more miserable.

Thinking about it now, Troy couldn't help but feel sorry for Sharpay. It was so unbearable that Sharpay had to spend lunch by herself.

And what made it worse was that it was most probably his fault. Not entirely, of course, but majority of the fault was his.

He was the one who 'auditioned' for the musical, he could have stopped those gossip, but he didn't.

Shaking off the guilt on his mind, he opened the door wider and caused Sharpay to stare at him. She was lying on her stomach, writing in a notebook, which surprisingly, wasn't pink, it was white. Beside her lay a bag of grapes. She shifted to sit comfortably.

"What do you want, Bolton?"

"I just want that necklace."

"No way! What makes you think I would sell it to you?"

"Uhh…"

Troy really didn't know. It couldn't be because of money, because that would be stupid. She had bucket loads of that. But he needed that necklace for Gabriella.

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"I'll do anything. Seriously, anything."

Sharpay thought for a second. But she had no choice but to tell him, in order for him to stop harassing her.

"Even if you'll do anything, I still can't give it to you. I can't take it off."

"What do you mean you can't take it off?"

"What do you mean what do I mean I can't take it off? I mean, I cannot take the damn necklace off!"

"Are you sure? Let me see…"

Troy got to where Sharpay was sitting, at the edge of the stage. She was wearing the same necklace again today, he noticed. Surprisingly, Sharpay let him take a look at the back of her neck. When he did, he saw that the chain that held the necklace together would go on around her neck without the clasp. The clasp wasn't there!

"Wait. How did you get the necklace on, in the first place?"

" There was a clasp in there when I put it on. But I don't know how it disappeared."

"Are you sure?"

Troy was suspicious that Sharpay would play a trick on him to make him stop pestering her. He fiddled with the necklace a bit more, and that might have looked like he was putting on the necklace, because, just at that moment, he heard Gabriella's voice.

"Troy Bolton, you jerk! How could you do this to me?! You said that you would buy that necklace for ME! Why are you putting it on _her_?!"

Gabriella took a deep breath and clamed herself down, and then continued, "Wait. I don't even want to know. We are so OVER!"

Gabriella ran fast, hands over her eyes, not wanting anyone to see her cry.

Troy, shocked that the episode playing before him, finally got himself to think straight and ran after Gabriella, finally managing to make her stop and listen to his explanation, which, didn't sound that convincing.

"Like I would believe that crap, Troy! Get out of my life! You were the one whole wanted this whole "pledge of love" thing. So I agreed. You were doing something romantic for me, for once! I was happy, for once! How could you do this?!"

"No, Gabriella, please believe me! It's the truth!"

Gabriella only walked away from him. He didn't bother following her, as he wouldn't make things any better.

He should know that. He _knew_ her.

Right.

Walking back to the auditorium, not wanting to face anyone. The place that consisted of the least people, which was why Sharpay chose that room, too. When he got there, that was when everything started.

"So, Gabriella broke up with you, huh?"

Troy kept silent; he didn't really want to talk about that right now, especially not to _Sharpay_.

"I got something to tell you."

Troy kept his silence, but wanting to know what Sharpay had in store for him, he nodded in her direction.

"Well, I'll make you a deal. I'll give you this necklace for free, but I have two conditions. One, is for you to help me get the necklace off me, and two, is to be my friend. I want you to hear me out when I talk, and hang out and stuff. Is that okay?"

"Why do you need me to hear you out? Why can't Ryan do that?"

"Because Ryan is like a _wall_ when you talk to him. Yeah, he listens to you, but he doesn't reply to anything say. So, what do you say, Bolton?"

"I have one condition too. I want you to call me Troy."

"Sounds like a deal."

"So…you're in?"

"Yeah, of course."

**

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A/N: Okay the first part of the story is going to be kinda boring, but it is important so please bear with me. Please. Because I'll promise to add in a lot of Troypay moments in the middle chapters so it'll be all worthwhile. And one last thing, sorry for the crappy chapter. It really isn't up to my expectations, but I promise the next chapter will be better. And, again, this is a Troypay.**


	3. The Chosen One

**A/N: I don't have any idea how I am going to write this chapter, I mean, I have it all planned out, the plot line and everything, but I don't think that I'm able to write this story and make it come out the way I want it to, but I'll try though, I'll try really hard. I won't say that I'll try my best, because sometime, your best isn't really enough. So I'm going to harder than my best. Hope it turns out all right though, but I'm not really all that confident.

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**

Having agreed to meet Sharpay after school to work on how to get her necklace off her, even though Troy had no idea how, he walked to her house from his, which was just a few houses down his street. He felt that Gabriella had avoided him all day, but all he did was to look for her, and explain what he did. What he really did.

The school hadn't gotten the news about the breakup yet, but he was positive that they would get to know it sooner or later, but he was betting on sooner. He didn't know why, but he didn't want the whole student body to know that Gabriella had broken up with him. Well, technically, it was him supposedly cheating on Gabriella, in Gabriella's point of view of course, but he didn't want anyone to know that Gabriella had caught them, as in him and Sharpay.

_Oh, yeah, and the fact the girl he was cheating on Gabriella with was the Ice Princess._

But the thing was, it was the first time the he had heard the words "we're over" being spoken to him. It was the first time, and as much as he hated to admit it, it _stung_.

Oh, no, it didn't sting because he loved Gabriella too much; it stung because he's pride was hurt. It was supposed to be him that broke up with girls. It was supposed to be the girls' hearts stinging because they loved him too much, not the other way. It was supposed to be him that made the decisions. It was _supposed_ to be him.

But it wasn't.

And it _stung._ He felt guilty, because that was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to be kind. He was supposed to be charming. He was supposed to be sweet. He was supposed to be caring. He wasn't supposed to be self-centered. He wasn't supposed to be careless. He was supposed to be able to be everyone's favourite guy. He was supposed to be perfect.

But he wasn't.

Stepping on Sharpay's front steps, he couldn't help but feel intimidated. The huge house towering over him; he's frame seemed awfully small in comparison. He didn't want to be with the girl that he was supposed to be cheating with; he wanted to be chasing after Gabriella, not because he loved her. Once again, because of his pride. Because of his precious reputation as "the guy".

Ringing the doorbell, he blinked, surprised of the loud, echoing doorbell that rang through the whole house, even though he shouldn't be. He knew that Sharpay wan Ryan Evans where rich, everyone knew that. Straightening out his shirt; he didn't want to look too sloppy for the wealthy family, he waited a few seconds until he saw the doors move backwards, revealing a petite figure, a housekeeper no doubt, judging by her attire. He opened his mouth to speak, when the red headed housekeeper beat him.

"Are you Mr. Troy Bolton?"

"Uh, yes."

"Miss. Evans is expecting you, she is in her room, the one up the stairs, down the right hallway, turning left after the second intersection, and third door from the right. Or you could just search for a door with "Sharpay" on it."

"Okay, thanks."

It was really weird, even the housekeeper intimidated him. Wandering down the hall after the stairs, he walked blindly, not really remembering the directions that the housekeeper gave him. The paintings and pictures on the walls were much more interesting. He didn't pay much attention during art, but he did know that they had to be worth quite a bit, oh what was he thinking, everything in this house had to be worth quite a bit, even the toilet paper they used!

Finally finding the correct room, with a "Sharpay" written on a pink star in gold on it, no doubt, he knocked on the door, opening it only after hearing a "come in" from the person inside, Sharpay.

The inside of the room, was not like the rest of the house, but not like he expected. He expected it to be all pink; he expected it to be full of pink. He expected it to be fresh and funky and modern.

But it wasn't. It was white, and grand and well…like a princess' bedroom. The bed was huge and her bed sheets were white, the night table was white with gold paint outlining the sides. There was a study table in one corner, white too, with a chair that was white, and black. Sharpay was sitting on it, typing something on her computer.

"Hey. Take a seat on the couch."

Troy didn't know what to do, so he just took a seat, just as he was told. He didn't want to stay long, just ask if he could go to the shop in the mall and hopefully the shopkeeper knew how to get the necklace off and get done with it. Before anyone knew about his breakup.

"So I know where the shop that sell it is."

"Great. Let's go then?"

Wait. Go with her. To the mall. Where _anyone_ and _everyone_ could see us. Are you sure about this?

But it was too late to argue, Sharpay had already grabbed her purse and was walking down the hall.

Sitting on the passenger seat of the black BMW, corrected, Sharpay's black BMW, Troy glanced at Sharpay and, looking at the way her blouse wrinkled and her hair was falling in her eyes. And the way that her shirt hitched up a little, revealing slightly more skin than she meant, when she stepped on the gas pedal.

He couldn't help but think to himself,_ beautiful_.

But he shook himself out of that thought. He could like Sharpay, not that way anyway. She was the ice queen, if people knew about the deal that they made, who knew what it would do to his reputation.

_But he just couldn't help it._

Realizing that they were already there, and he was unabashedly staring at Sharpay, he quickly jerked his head back and away from her and got out from the car. Looking down, partially because he didn't want anyone from school to recognize him and partially he wanted to hide his blush from his cheeks, and the thing was, he didn't know why he was blushing in the first place.

Leading the way to the store; they got a little lost at first, and he could tell that Sharpay was really pissed but was trying really hard not to blow up at him, maybe because of the whole friend thing.

He shrugged off the nice feeling that he was getting, that Sharpay was actually _nice_ to him. He considered it as a privilege. But that meant that he had to be nice to Sharpay too, but, surprisingly, that didn't strike him as a bad thing.

Finally spotting the store, he looked up to see the signboard, _Ingrid's Treasures_, he read. He then shifted his gaze to the shop's window, there were bracelets, and rings, and scarves and whatnot, but nothing as beautiful and as eye catching as the necklace that Sharpay had on, and couldn't take off.

Subconsciously taking a deep breath, Troy walked into the shop, with Sharpay following silently behind him. He saw an aged woman, in her sixties, maybe, sitting behind the cashier counter.

"Hi, do remember this necklace?" Sharpay spoke up from behind him, revealing the nice side of her that he never knew existed.

"Come here, let me take a closer look." The shopkeeper, presumably Ingrid, replied.

Troy wasn't really interested by the conversation that Sharpay was having with the shopkeeper, not as much as the beautiful 'treasures' that the store displayed.

Not until he heard something that caught his interest.

"Ooh, yes, I remember this, this is really special."

"Like you wouldn't believe, because the thing is, I can't get it off."

"Oh, goodness gracious, this is unbelievable! This only happens to the chosen ones! Which means… that you are…"

The shopkeeper clamped her hand over her mouth, shock overtaking her face.

**

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A/N: Okay this is kind of a cliff hanger, and I'm really sorry for this short chapter but I really wanted to update and this sounded like a good place to leave them, I can promise you a much longer chapter, like double the size of this, for the next one, but that'll be in about two to three weeks' time, sorry, but that chapter will be worth the wait, because it will reveal how Sharpay will get the necklace off and what 'the chosen one' means and mostly, the most important chapter I guess. But can you guess, and tell me in your reviews, by the title how do you think Sharpay will get the necklace off? I'll tell you a little more about the story plot line if you get it correct!**


	4. Birthday Present

**A/N: So this is the third chapter. I guess this chapter is kind of a filler, so don't expect it to be long. I meant this to be a continuation of the previous chapter but I figured that I was taking way too long to update. I hope you enjoy it!**

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"Stop!" Sharpay shouted to Ingrid immediately, shooting a warning glance first to Ingrid, then moving it to Troy, mentally telling her that he did not and was not supposed to know about the above mentioned situation. Ingrid understood immediately.

"If you don't mind, I have a small office, if you may, would you like to come and take a look?" Ingrid suggested, pointing her index finger of her left hand behind her, towards the almost unnoticeable door that was cleverly hidden on the wall of the cashier counter, and nodded her head slowly.

Sharpay hesitated for a moment, and Troy saw it.

"Why should I trust you?" Sharpay asked in a demanding manner.

A smile crept up Ingrid's wrinkled face, making her face look as though she had be swimming for a considerably long amount of time.

"Because, I was in the exact same situation as you are now." Ingrid said while unveiling the purple scarf that hung semi-loosely around her neck, revealing the exact same necklace that hung around Sharpay's.

Except that it looked _different_.

It looked much duller. It had no shine to it. It wasn't twinkling like it had been polished a thousand and one times, it looked like it was hidden in someone's attic for a thousand and one years, instead. It did not look as if it were a gem; not beautiful and untouchable. It looked like plastic; cheap and breakable.

But it had some sort of _resemblance_, strangely.

"Okay-" Sharpay finally agreed, not wanting Troy to become too suspicious if she was thinking for way too long, but was cut off.

"I'll be outside, so you two can talk in here if you like." Troy spoke up, catching the hint that he wasn't wanted.

_

* * *

That was weird. Really weird._

_Hmmm, I wonder what Sharpay is hiding from me? She sounded scared, almost. But ice queens never get scared. She makes people scared; not the other way around._

Having nothing in particular to do, Troy walks aimlessly around the mall, when he spots Ryan. Ryan spots him, too, apparently, as he waves his right hand high above his head, in a successful attempt to catch Troy's attention, his left clutching a shopping bag.

Troy smiles in reply and walks to him.

"Hey, are you shopping here?" Ryan asks, in a flimsy attempt to make small talk with Troy.

"Uh, you could say that. What about you?" Troy answered, not really wanting to make known his new found 'friendship' with Ryan's twin sister.

"Yeah, I'm shopping for Sharpay's birthday present." Ryan replied.

Troy's mind immediately link that back to the conversation he had with the supposed 'birthday girl' a day ago. The necklace that she wanted was a birthday present from her father! That meant that her birthday had passed!

"But I saw Sharpay's birthday present from her dad!" Troy countered; he wanted to know the truth, did Sharpay lie to him or _what_?

Ryan looked down, biting his lower lip, as if unwilling to tell Troy something.

"Well, Sharpay's dad, our dad, he doesn't give Sharpay her birthday presents on time. I guess he doesn't remember her birthday or something." Ryan explained.

"Oh, sorry, that must be awful." Troy looked down, embarrassed.

"Nah, it's okay, it used to be worse. We didn't even have birthday presents from him before mum passed on. Dad's made an effort, we can see that."

"So, what present did you get?" Troy said, trying to steer the awkward conversation to a less tense one; he was obviously uncomfortable.

"I, uhh, haven't gotten mine yet." Ryan said, head downwards, scratching unconsciously at his temple.

_It was then that Troy had realized that the Evans twins weren't all that they seemed to be. Their birthdays were forgotten, their mother had passed away; it was almost unbelievable that 'perfect' wasn't always perfect. It was far from it. Mentally, he made a note to himself to make an extra effort to be nice to Sharpay from then on._

**

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A/N: Short chapter, I know, the next chapter, I haven't gotten it written yet, but I know how it's going to be written and what going to be in it. The secrets will all be revealed in that chapter, sorry for this short crappy one. Review will be much appreciated to boost my confidence in writing this story as this is a hard story to write. Thanks to all reviewers! And to note, the next chapter will be up within half a month to a month's time.**


	5. Now What?

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I really have tons of school and stuff, but I'll try.**

"So, since he's gone, do you want to talk in there or here?" Ingrid asked, motioning her hand towards the door behind her.

"Let's just talk here." Answered Sharpay. She didn't want to be alone in some place she wasn't familiar with. She could risk getting kidnapped or robbed or, even worse, _murdered_.

"So, let's get to the point. How do I get this off? I'm Sharpay by the way."

"Hey slow down. My name is Ingrid. Don't always think of getting the necklace off, there are advantages to this situation, you know?"

"Like _what_ advantages?"

"You know that you are 'the chosen one', right?"

"Yeah, and what does it have to do with me being 'the chosen one'?"

Flashback- 

**(Five years ago)**

"Shar?"

"Yes mother?" an eleven-year-old Sharpay replied.

"Come to my room, please. I need to tell you something important." Sharpay's mother, Mrs. Evans, gently took her daughter's wrist and led her to the master's bedroom.

They sat down on the bed facing each other.

"Okay, Shar, do you know why your hair is always so shiny when you are happy?"

"Nope."

"It's because, you are every special. Your heart, if it is cut out and eaten, the person who eats it will live forever. Do you understand?"

"Yes, a little bit. So, does that mean that if I cut my heart out, and eat it, I can live forever?"

"No, Shar, you can't because no one can live with out a heart. But if other people cut out your heart, and they eat it, they can live forever."

"So will other people want to cut out my heart? Will I die if they do?"

"Yes, they will, and yes, you will die. That's why I'm telling you this. I want you to know how to protect yourself."

"Okay."

Right after that, Mrs. Evan asked Sharpay to leave the room, so she did.

After a while, while passing by her mom's room, Sharpay caught a glimpse of her mother, foaming at the mouth, with a bottle of drugs in her hand.

She had committed suicide.

End Flashback- 

"Well, only 'the chosen ones' get this curse. It will only work on them, I mean."

"What do you mean by 'the chosen one_s_'? '_Ones_' as in plural? Are there more?"

"Well, maybe, if they aren't dead by now. You see, every half a decade, a chosen one is born."

"Oh, okay, so what advantages are there?"

Sharpay seemed to calm down quite a bit since the beginning of the conversation.

"No one is going to be able to eat your heart if you wear it. But there is just one problem."

"What _is_ it?"

The only way to get the necklace off, is to be kissed by your true love. It must be someone whom you love and loves you back. It doesn't matter if he knows about the curse and how you have to get the necklace off or not, but the important thing is, he must love you. Otherwise…"

" 'Otherwise' what?"

Sharpay's eyes shot from her beautiful necklace to the old dull one on Ingrid's neck, afraid of what might come next.

"You will end up, like me. I still cannot take off my necklace, and I will never be able to, but the curse still remains, that is, no one can eat my heart. But…"

" 'But' what?"

"I can never kiss again."

Thoughts shot through Sharpay's head, too fast that not every thought was clear. Only one was.

Now what?

"So what about that guy? He sure doesn't look like your brother. Who is he?" Ingrid suddenly asks.

"He's my frien… He just someone from school." Sharpay answered hesitantly.

Troy wasn't her _friend_. She just made a deal with him. She was just too desperate for a friend. Ryan was always there for her, sure, since the beginning. But she _sick_ of him, frankly speaking. She was sick and tired of have hi as her only friend and wanted to know other people. She wanted a life. _Without _her family.

Sure, her family was rich, no doubt. Sure, her family was well known, for the right reasons. Sure, her family seemed happy together. But it didn't _feel_ like a family.

It didn't feel like the kind of family that she had always wanted. It _just _didn't.

" So thanks for your help. I got to go now, though." Sharpay spoke suddenly, as she glanced at her watch. She didn't really have anywhere in particular that she needed to go to, but she didn't want Tory to wait for her any longer. She wasn't exactly his friend, yet, so she didn't want him to get a bad impression of her, at least not worse than the one she had already given him.

As she stood up abruptly from her seat and straightened her blouse, waving to Ingrid a last goodbye before she reached for the door handle, she couldn't her but wonder, what am I going to tell Troy now?

**

* * *

So this story is unrevealing itself in this chapter. I just wanted it to seem as though Troy is the arrogant one this time, instead of Sharpay, since most story I've read show that Sharpay's the mean one. Ohh, yeah, and if you readers come across any good Troypay stories please tell me, okay? I need serious Troypay right now.**


	6. Desperate

**A/N: OKAY I'M BACK! OH I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG!**

As Sharpay looked around her surroundings, she couldn't find anyone familiar. She checked out some of the stores, and the food court but Troy was nowhere to be found. She decided to go back to Ingrid's shop, to ask if Troy had been there.

"Hi again! Just wondering if that guy that was with me, you know, came back here?" Sharpay asked once she got back into the store.

"He just left. When I told him that you had already left, he told me to tell you that he had left by himself, if you came back."Ingrid responded hurriedly; she was attending to several customers at that time.

"Okay thanks."Sharpay's eyes wandered over a stack of purple name cards with Ingrid's name printed on it. She grabbed one.

_Just in case._

As she made her way back home, she couldn't help but wonder to herself.

_What am I going to do now? It's not like I can fall in love with someone just because I want to get this necklace off. It's like God's forcing me to be nicer to everyone in order to find someone who loves me. Other than Zeke, of course. Oh, and what am I going to tell Troy? Is he going to have to force himself to be my friend for years until I find someone to love? What now?_

Troy was in his car, driving home. He wandered around the shopping mall after talking to Ryan and looking through the shop window to see Sharpay and Ingrid deep in conversation. After getting restless, he decided to see if Sharpay was still at the shop, but she wasn't. He left a message for her and headed out of the mall.

_Sharpay must be hiding something from me. Otherwise, I would not have to get out of the store. But what? I should have the right to know, I mean, I am her friend, right? Almost, anyways. Maybe she just wants to keep it from me so that I can stay her friend a little longer._

_After all, I am basketball-king. I'm popular. I have everyone's admiration. I'm Troy Bolton._

_But I don't have a choice anyways. I need that necklace. I need to make up with Gabriella before anyone besides Sharpay knows about the break up. This is serious._

_My reputation is at stake._

_Gosh, I'm so confused. I don't know what to. I want to have Troy as my friend. Curse that rotten crush that I've got on him for years now. Trust that lunk head basketball boy to be so oblivious to this. But I bet he knows. About my crush on him, I mean. He just doesn't like me back._

_Who am I kidding?_

_I'm just Sharpay. Queen of Evil. Ice-princess. He's Troy Bolton. Basketball king. Uber-hottie._

_I'm not good enough. And will never be._

_Forget him._

Sharpay walked to the car park, and immediately spotted he vehicle. She did not want to think about this any longer. She started the engine and drove off.

After driving for a while, she halted at a red light. Her phone began to ring.

"Hi Sharpay, Troy here."

_Oh shoot. I don;t want to have this conversation right now. This is so not a good time._

"Oh hi Troy."

"So I was thinking-"

"Erm Troy, I'm driving right now, could you call me back later or something?"

"Oh Sharpay, why don't I drop by your house then?"

Without her agreeing, he hung up.

_Boy, isn't he desperate, just inviting himself to my house. Oh well, it's just because of the necklace._

**A/N: Sorry for the length, I just wasn't really up to a long one. This is just a filler chapter. The real fun comes two or three chapters afterwards.**


	7. Hopeless and endearing

**A/N: This chapter is really for –StarlightRomance- , cause I was really encouraged by her review, and it really spurred me on. So, thanks.**

When Sharpay got to her house, she found Troy sitting her doorstep. She walked up to him, fumbled for her keys and opened the door.

The house was dark, well, that was because the lights weren't on.

But it gave off a dull, not-lived-in feeling. The loneliness it gave off couldn't help but overwhelm Troy, as he compared it to his own home. His own warm, comfortable, always-welcoming home. And Sharpay's huge, impeccably clean and tidy house.

Missing the pictures, and the odd boxes of tissue paper, and the empty can on the coffee table.

She had an empty life. Just looking at the house practically reveals how pathetic Sharpay's life is. She lives without any love. Even the most basic love she lacks. She doesn't have love from her parents. Ryan's the only one keeping her up, and stopping her from isolating herself from the world. She's like a parasite, depending on Ryan, and the more she lives on Ryan, the more Ryan is set back. Ryan knows that their parents favour him more. Them remembering his exact birth date is a perfect example. They love him much more and he witnesses the effect that has on Sharpay.

She wants that love so much. She just wants to be loved. She wants it so badly, desperately. And the only one that can offer that to her is him, but the more he gives to her, the more she shows him how vulnerable she really is. And at those moments she reveals how she really feels inside. How broken she really is. How she can break despite the way she acts in school.

Yes, it's a facade. Yes, she's hurt. Yes, she pretends that everything's alright. But you know something? That's what draws Troy in. Yes, the thing that makes Sharpay so hopeless but yet so endearing just draws him in. Not in a sick, masochistic way, no. But in a way that made him want to help her.

Yes, he wanted her to help her. I would seem just like he pitied her, but it was more than that. Maybe it was because of that obvious crush she had since forever. Or maybe it was the way she unabashedly flirted with him. That she wasn't afraid that others would laugh at her, which they sure did. Perhaps it was the way she worshiped him. Or pretended to, at least. Worshiped imperfect him. Imperfect, egoistic, desperate him, that make way too many mistakes to be considered a hero. Maybe it was a boost to his ego, his confidence, that someone wanted him that much.

Or maybe it was just much too huge a blow to him that Gabriella could let him go that easily. That he wasn't worth fighting for. And the only person that wanted him that much was Sharpay.

Or was he just refusing to admit something? Just something vitally important that might just helped him to get out of this rut that he's stuck deep in. That he just might need to help him stop being so immature, so full of arrogance that he doesn't want to show everyone. That might just help him be more of himself.

Be more real.

_And wow, all that from just walking into her house._

He walked further in the house. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Sharpay stood frozen on the doorstep. The door was open, the only source of light coming from the sunlight outside, outlining her silhouette. He was confused as to why she was hesitant to come into her own house.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that you're one of the few people that come over. Others come over just cause of Ryan, and you know that can be many people. So, I'm just really..."

The silence overtook the house, as Sharpay search her mind for the right word to explain the weird feeling she was feeling right now. That anticipation that bugged her with the apprehension that made her way too nervous for her liking. Yeah, thanks the word.

"Nervous." Both of them said in unison. Then came laughs.

"So, let's go upstairs to my room."

Sharpay led the way upstairs, followed by Troy. He was amazed at the amount of paintings that hung on the wall, instead of pictures that should have been.

_I mean, it's wonderful and all, but should a home be more, I don't know, homey?_

And then, he stepped into Sharpay's room. He was surprised, I guess he must have looked that way too.

"I guess I know the answer, but I just have to ask, why do you have that look on your face?"

"I'm just surprised, really surprised."

"By the lack of pink and glitter?"

"Yeah, and the abundance of white."

"I like things simple."

**A/N: Yeah, another filler chapter. The next one is when they really bond and know more about each other, and who knows what else will happen? And well, I created Troy in a way that he will have enough compassion stored in him to fall in love with Sharpay but arrogant enough that others would really see the difference between him before and after he hung out with Sharpay. And how Sharpay changed him. But that's the future.**


	8. Pity

**A/N: Hey there. Another encouraging review prompted me to get started with this chapter, this time by LoveIsLost29, she gave me the basic idea for this chapter and I'm just expanding it for it to be more detailed. Oh and I reread the previous chapter and found a lot of mistakes, so I apologise for that. I was really tired because I did that like late last night and I didn't bother to check it.**

Sharpay sat on her bed, really, well, nervous.

She couldn't help but try and keep her feelings in, because she knew that she can't show then to him, not when he still think that she's a bullet-proof, heartless, cold bitch with a obsession for attention.

_No way._

She has to keep up with the facade that she puts on at school, and try hard not to let her guard down. It's going to be tough, but you know what?

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

And you can't doubt that she's tough, on the outside anyways. Well, but considering the fact that Troy was she guy that she had a crush on for years now, it was really going to be a difficult time for her.

Fighting between the tempting future that might just happen, or maybe it's just only in her mind, if she tells Troy how she really feels and what she really is. That Troy might just accept her for who she is and love her.

_That's all she really wants._

But, then again, as she always tells herself, there's only a very slim chance that that would actually happen. What would really happen is that Troy would just snatch that necklace the moment it goes off, and run off to Gabriella, without a second glance at Sharpay. Leaving all the memories that they had. All the memories that, in Sharpay's opinion, were wonderful, and, even worse, impossible to forget.

_Impossible to forget._

And then, the disappointment that she felt would just simply overwhelm her. Overwhelm the fragile, brittle, broken her that she really is. That she really is. It would just tear open her wounds, tear them fresh open. The pain, the helplessness and most of all, the hurt that she would feel would just fill up. Fill up and suffocate her.

_Would she risk it all just for that one shot at being loved?_

What really surprised her and shook her out for her thoughts was the slight shaking of the bed when Troy sat down beside her. She was surprised, really, that Troy would be so willing to be at such a closed proximity with someone socially as despised as her.

_Better than nothing, right? Might as well savour the moment when it's still here, rather than regret it when it's gone._

"You okay?"

_Wow, huge improvement. He actually cares._

"Yeah."

"Well, okay then."

"Do you want to ask me something or what?"

"No, I think that if you want to tell me something, then you will. Otherwise, I have no right to probe."

_Gosh, that's sweet._

"Okay, then. I will tell you. I can't get this necklace off until I love someone."

_Wow, that's a load off my chest._

"Wow. Uh, well, then..."

"And it's okay if you don't want to be my friend, I understand. I don't want to force you to be my friend until I find someone to love. I know you don't really like hanging out with me anyways. Just go back to Gabriella."

_Even though I don't want you to._

"No, it's fine. I don't mind. I really want to get to know you better."

_THAT'S A LIE._

Of course it was a lie. Did you really think that Troy would really want to know you better? He just wants the necklace back. I'd bet he's panicking inside, afraid of what he would have to do to get Gabriella back right now. He cares none for you. Just like everybody else, besides Ryan. He just pities you, at the most. He just wants to you use, and you vulnerability to get the necklace back to Gabriella. For his happily ever after.

_Little did she know, that wasn't what he was thinking at all. In fact, it was just the opposite._

"I'm just really curious, Sharpay. Are you hurt? At all?"

"Huh. You ask me if I'm hurt. Of course I am. Haven't you already seen the pathetic house? Haven't you already empathised what I am feeling? I saw the pained look on you face when you first stepped into the house. And let me tell you, Troy Bolton, that I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY."

_Sharpay Evans, always trying to be tough._

"It's not that. I'm not here just cause I pity you-"

"Yeah, I know that."

"Well, then, good-"

"You're here because of the necklace. I know that. And you know something? You know something, Troy? I'm fine. I'm FINE, I tell you. I don't need your pity. I don't want it, don't need it. So if you want to go, go ahead and leave. LEAVE-"

She was cut off by Troy's hand on her lips. Sharpay looked at his tortured eyes, at what he was feeling inside for being misunderstood. That he really wanted to help Sharpay.

_Really, truly._

**A/N: Okay, this is a short chapter, as usual. And well, this is the part when the feelings between Sharpay and Troy being to develop. They are exactly in love with each other yet, but they are beginning to care for one another. Well, Troy for Sharpay, for the most part. Sharpay, well, she just wallows in her self-pity in the meantime.**

**Oh, and I want to ask if you guy like reading those paragraphs where they think. Or do you want more like speech or more details on what they are doing like body language or all of it. Cause I think I write those 'thinking' paragraphs best but, well, it's not for me to decide.**


	9. Playground

**A/N: I'M BACK. LOOK DOWN. EW, NOT THAT WAY. I MEAN THE STORY.**

She was shocked. Taken aback, even. I mean, it's not every day she gets even a hint of care or concern. Especially not from Troy.

Troy. Troy, gorgeous Troy. She never would have expected anything from him, and yet.

_Maybe she could give him a chance?_

She should stop being so paranoid; not everyone is out to get her.

Wait. Something's wrong. Oh yeah. Troy stopped kissing me.

"Sorry, that was out of line. I shouldn't have done that, Shar. I, uhh, sorry."

_WHY DID YOU STOP?!_

"Yeah, it probably was."

"I was just-"

"It's okay."

_I didn't mind._

"You wanna get something to eat? Or maybe-"

"Do you wanna just talk?"

"Uh, okay."

"Good, I wanna show you a place. You'll love it."

Troy grabbed Sharpay's hand and led her out of the house. He brought her to the park that he made the promise to get Gabriella the necklace. In that same park, there's a deserted playground, deserted because it was so secluded and in a corner of the park obscured by trees and bushes. It was a relatively small playground, which was partly the reason why not many people could find it.

But, for such a small playground, the swing was pretty good.

In Sharpay's opinion, anyways.

Troy and Sharpay used to go there when they were young, in kindergarten. They used to push each other on the swings, or rather, Troy used to push Sharpay on the swings, and have loads of fun. Neither of them forgot it.

Troy took Sharpay's hand and led her to sit on the swing, she was surprised, but did as he wanted.

"Just like old times?"

"Yeah, just like old times."

It was peaceful. It was sort of endearing.

He was sort of endearing.

But, then again, putting yourself out to some guy that you barely even know and letting yourself being as vulnerable as possible is as endearing as you can get.

_Well, he's not just some guy, and you don't 'barely know' him._

They swung around for awhile, and played around with the slides and see-saw.

The see-saw was much more fun for Sharpay though, cause Troy was heavier and kept going down so he kept pushing himself upwards and Sharpay kept getting pushed downwards.

_Troy thought her giggles and squeals were cute._

Troy got stuck on the slides because his legs were too long and his nylon track pants weren't really ideal for sliding on plastic slides.

_Sharpay thought the way he looked so frustrated when he couldn't slide down the slide the whole way was cute too._

They headed back to Sharpay's house. The whole trip to the park was mostly silent, besides the short sentences and the excited screams of Sharpay and the frustrated groans from Troy. It was awkward, but both of them enjoyed it.

Sharpay enjoyed it because it was so long since she truly had fun like this. Like eons. And she least expected it to be because of Troy, but little did she know he would have so much more fun than she thought it would.

Troy, on the other hand, liked it because he could be himself, and he didn't have to conform to what others expected him to be. If he was frustrated, he could show it, if he was happy and having fun, he could show it. He also didn't expect it to be because of Sharpay, but what the heck. He liked her enough.

_Or more than enough. Way more._

He could help but feel more than he should have felt for her. He didn't know why he kissed her earlier on, but it was one of those things that just happened. It seemed right and he definitely didn't regret it. He just did it because he felt like doing it and since he was a 'free man' now, it was fine, right? He just hoped it meant as much to Sharpay as it did to him. Even though Sharpay was known to be notorious but after hanging out with her for the afternoon, he realized that she wasn't all that bad.

He felt nice holding her hand as they walked to and from her home. It was warm and loving, not the cold and just plain disturbing. It was comfortable.

She also felt nice holding his hand, and you have no idea how nice it felt her hand in his, how loved she felt and how good she felt actually having someone. No someone_ someone, _but at least a friend. She also felt comfortable.

And although both of them didn't know it, they were slowly falling for each other. They were slowly getting over their fears and they were slowly being who they wanted to be. They were getting more and more comfortable with each other and they are gradually getting less and less awkward with one another.

**A/N: Here it is. Okay, I want some suggestions to where Troy and Sharpay could hang out as friends and fall in love as well, cause I really want a thing going here that's not slip short but not a marathon either. Just like a coffee place or anything like is fine, I just wanna know what you're thinking because I have minimal ideas.**


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